Dorothy and Mikey - Hardcover

In three breezy stories, Kasza (Don't Laugh, Joe!) captures the intermittent bickering, one-upmanship and affection integral to friendship. The title characters are two young hippos who are "best friends... well, most of the time." After a spat about who will save the other from the villains in a game of make-believe, Dorothy storms off and the two make futile attempts to have fun alone, until they agree to take turns "saving each other from the bad guys." In the subsequent tales, Dorothy teaches a bragging, teasing Mikey a lesson; her feelings are hurt when Mikey tells her he wants to be alone, but then she discovers he needed solitude to compose a poem for her. Though assuring happy conclusions to these episodes, the author wraps up each with a quirky twist, as when Dorothy surreptitiously edits a line in Mikey's ode to her, changing "She's sometimes a pest," to "She's always the best." Kasza's spare, jovial pictures feature comical, changeable expressions on the faces of these devoted pals. The brevity of the text, limited vocabulary and snappy dialogue of the stories makes this a solid choice for readers graduating from picture books. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Chubby hippopotami Dorothy and Mikey are best friends, "well, most of the time." Three short stories find the opinionated Dorothy and the determined Mikey battling over who's the better, braver and more skilled of the duo. First, the friends have apparently irreconcilable differences when Dorothy refuses to be saved by Mikey in their "knight and princess" game. Happily, they compromise and take turns saving each other. In the second story, brain triumphs over brawn as Dorothy convinces braggart Mikey to compete with his eyes closed. Mikey boasts and sweats outside by himself, while Dorothy gloats and sits inside with a lemonade. In the third story, Dorothy has the last word, literally, when, out of revenge for being snubbed, she changes a line in Mikey's poem from "[Dorothy's] sometimes a pest" to "She's always the best." Kasza accurately portrays a child's experience with her on-target facial expressions, body language and concise text, while also commenting, with subtlety and humor, on what the children can't (or won't) admit. A friendship book with a competitive edge. Amy Brandt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved